


The Problem With Gift Giving

by PartTimeGiraffeChoreographer



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Party, Fluff, Mystery, Weird Dirt, puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8982472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartTimeGiraffeChoreographer/pseuds/PartTimeGiraffeChoreographer
Summary: It's the skeleton brothers' first Christmas since reaching the surface, and there's a lot to do! Gifts need to be bought and wrapped, the house needs to be cleaned, preparations need to be made for Toriel's Christmas party...But something strange is going on. Sans has been acting kind of weird. ... Well, weirder than usual. What do meatballs, dirt, and tiny armor have in common?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story is tentatively set in the universe of [Transmigration of the Soul](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6539620/chapters/14961265), though you don't need to read that story to enjoy this. 
> 
> For anyone who has read TotS, though, this story would occur during the monster's first Christmas above ground. The Monstertown district has been built, but the Reader character has not moved to Ebott City, so won't be appearing here.

**November 25th: 1 Month Until Christmas**  
  
Papyrus carefully scrutinized the bones he had laid out on his bed, one gloved hand gripping his elbow, and the other gripping his chin. It was a very difficult decision to make. One must always strive to be at their best and utterly prepared when it comes to battle.  
  
Doubly-so when it's the battle of friendship.  
  
Papyrus sighed in defeat and, with a wave of his hand, dismissed the conjured bones.  
  
"NONE OF THESE WILL MAKE AN ADEQUATE GIFT FOR UNDYNE. IT SEEMS THE BONE I GAVE HER LAST YEAR WAS TOO GREAT FOR MY OWN GOOD! IT WILL BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TOP THAT ONE..."  
  
"maybe you should try giving her something else, then?"  
  
Papyrus whirled around at the sound of Sans' voice. "SANS! I DIDN'T HEAR YOU COME I- WHY ARE YOU IN MY SOCK DRAWER?!" Papyrus' eyes bulged comically as he took in the sight of his brother laying languidly in his opened drawer like some particularly lazy cat.  
  
"i came in to borrow some socks, but *yawn* was **socked** by the sudden urge to take a nap." Sans smiled sleepily at him.  
  
"NYEEEEH! IT'S BAD ENOUGH YOU'RE NAPPING YOURSELF INTO AN EARLY GRAVE, I WILL NOT HAVE YOU DO SO ON MY CLEAN SOCKS!" Papyrus stomped his foot angrily.  
  
"ah, sorry bro." Sans apologized, rolling out of the drawer. he stood up, grabbing a pair of socks at random, and shuffled his way back out the door.  
  
"THE LEAST YOU COULD HAVE DONE IS SHUT THE DRAWER AFTERWARDS!" Papyrus called after him, shutting the drawer himself.  
  
"sorry, bro." he heard called back.  
  
_"HMPH. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH HIM?"_ Papyrus huffed to himself, indignantly.  
  
He then thought about what Sans had said to him. He did not want to disappoint Undyne by not getting her a bone this year, but it was impossible to improve upon perfection. Perhaps if he got her something else that was equally amazing, she might forget her disappointment?  
  
Papyrus nodded to himself. _"YES. THAT'S IT. IT MAY NOT BE THE SAME, BUT I WILL SHOW UNDYNE THAT MY TASTE IN GIFTS IS IMPECCABLE NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE! I AM, AFTER ALL, THE GREATEST OF FRIENDS."_  
  
His mind made up, Papyrus donned his boots and headed out to do some Christmas shopping.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
It had taken quite a few hours of shopping, but Papyrus had managed to get something for everyone on his list. He wasn't sure what a "Black Friday Weekend" sale was, but it seemed to be quite a popular time to shop. He'd never seen lines so long! A few people he'd bumped into had seemed somewhat grouchy and said some nasty things, but they must have realized how terrible that was, as they were quite apologetic after they turned around and looked up at him.  
  
Though he had been doubtful, he even managed to find a cool alternate gift for Undyne! It was this replica sword that even featured a cool looking skull on the hilt! It had been pretty expensive, but Undyne was his best friend, and she was worth it.  
  
"SANS! I'M HOME!" he announced as he hauled his bags into the house.  
  
"hey, bro. welcome home. how'd your shopping go?" Sans waved to him from his position slouched on the couch.  
  
"IT WENT QUITE WELL!" Papyrus beamed. His face then twisted in confusion. "WHAT'S THAT SMELL?"  
  
Sans grinned nervously at him. "ah, what smell, paps?"  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHAT SMELL'? THAT SMELL THAT'S PERMEATING THE HOUSE! IT KIND OF SMELLS LIKE... HOTLAND??" That wasn't QUITE right, but it was the closest way Papyrus could think to describe the smell. Like earth and fire and... wait... did fire even HAVE a smell? He knew burning wood had a smell, but it wasn't like he'd ever tried to sniff Grillby or anything when picking up his brother after he'd had a few too many drinks... That would be weird, especially given that he didn't have a nose...  
  
"uh... maybe it was that Mettaton movie that was just on TV? It was set in Hotland." Sans suggested dubiously.  
  
"SANS... YOU CAN'T SMELL A MOVIE..." Papyrus glared at him for such a ridiculous suggestion.  
  
"what? you never heard of smell-o-vision?" Sans grinned cheekily at him.  
  
"I-" Papyrus hesitated uncertainly. "NO. ACTUALLY, I HAVE NOT." He blinked in confusion.  
  
"i heard that the test group that watched finding nemo in smell-o-vision thought the gimmick was a **little fishy.** " Sans winked at him.  
  
Papyrus groaned and covered his face. "THAT'S IT. I'M DONE WITH YOU. I'M GOING TO GO UPSTAIRS AND WRAP THESE GIFTS NOW, SO DON'T COME INTO MY ROOM!"  
  
"no problem, bro." Sans gave him a thumbs up, then went back to idly flipping through the channels on TV.  
  
Papyrus hoisted the bags more securely and headed upstairs to do just that.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**November 28th: 27 Days Until Christmas**  
  
Papyrus knocked on Sans' bedroom door. "SANS! WAKE UP! IT'S GARBAGE DAY! I NEED ANY TRASH FROM YOUR ROOM THAT NEEDS TO GO OUT. AND, NO, THROWING IT INTO YOUR TRASH TORNADO IS **NOT** AN OPTION!"  
  
Papyrus waited patiently as he heard the tell-tale thunk of Sans rolling out of bed, followed by the shuffling of him making his way to the door.  
  
Finally, the door opened and Sans peaked his head out, keeping the door mostly closed.  
  
"uh, thanks, bro, but i already took my trash out, and i brought the can to the curb before i went to bed last night." Sans scratched his head awkwardly, not meeting Papyrus' eyes.  
  
Papyrus stared, dumbfounded, at Sans, his mouth agape. This was unprecedented behavior from his brother. Normally, he had to go into his room himself to pick pieces of garbage out of the self-sustaining trash tornado before it got out of hand.  
  
Sans' eyes met Papyrus' shocked face for only a moment before he looked away again, blushing deeply. "huh... i didn't know it was suppose to rain today..."  
  
Papyrus blinked at Sans in confusion. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, SANS? IT'S SUNNY OUT."  
  
Sans returned his gaze to his brother, causing Papyrus to tense as he saw his brother's grin widen. "nah, it must be raining. after all, you look absolutely **thunderstruck.** "  
  
Papyrus smacked his hand to his face and whined at the pun. He'd walked right into that one.  
  
Still... His brother had not only taken out his own garbage, but brought the garbage can out to be picked up. All by himself. Without any prompting. Papyrus was not about to let this good behavior go unpraised. Perhaps if he encouraged him, his brother would pick up other good habits?  
  
Papyrus brought his hand down from his face and smiled brightly at Sans. "REGARDLESS OF YOUR TERRIBLE PUNNERY, I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU FOR TAKING OUT THE GARBAGE!"  
  
Sans' receding blush returned. "i, uh... thanks, bro."  
  
"SINCE YOU'RE UP, YOU SHOULD START GETTING READY FOR THE DAY! I WILL BE MAKING BREAKFAST, SHORTLY."  
  
"sure thing. i'll be down in a bit." Sans smiled before ducking back into his room.  
  
Papyrus turned on his heel and strode towards the stairs, grabbing the bag of trash he'd already removed from his own room.  
  
He then headed outside and, sure enough, the garbage can was on the curb. Papyrus strode over to it and was about to deposit his own load of trash when he noticed the mess in the can. It seemed that some sort of animal had gotten into the can overnight and torn open some of the bags.  
  
Papyrus sighed, went to retrieve some new bags, and returned to deal with the mess. It would not be right to leave this for the nice garbage men to deal with.  
  
As he was rebagging the escaped garbage, he began to notice these weird, brown lumps. He picked one up and examined it curiously. They were in a variety of shapes, and looked like they'd been... cooked? Some definitely bore scorch marks on them. In truth, Papyrus wasn't really sure WHAT they were.  
  
_"WHAT SORT OF THING IS SMALL, BROWN, AND COOKED?"_ he pondered this strange puzzle. It then hit him, _"AH! PERHAPS THESE ARE SUPPOSE TO BE MEATBALLS! BUT... I DIDN'T MAKE THESE... THAT WOULD MEAN THAT SANS DID... IS HE TRYING TO CREATE MEATBALLS TO ACCOMPANY MY WORLD-CLASS SPAGHETTI?"_ Papyrus examined the lump he was currently holding and cringed slightly. _"I CAN SEE WHY HE DID NOT TELL ME ABOUT THIS BATCH... THEY SEEM... INEDIBLE. THERE ISN'T EVEN ANY MTT BRAND (MOSTLY) EDIBLE GLITTER(TM) IN THEM..."_  
  
Papyrus didn't understand why his brother didn't come to him for help with his culinary creation. Surely he knew that the Great Papyrus would be happy to help? _"PERHAPS... PERHAPS IT'S A SURPRISE? YES. THAT MUST BE IT. MY BROTHER IS TRYING TO CREATE THE PERFECT MEATBALL TO COMPLIMENT MY SPAGHETTI, ALL BY HIMSELF."_ Papyrus nodded, proud that he'd solved this puzzle. _"I SHOULD LET HIM WORK ON THIS ALONE. THERE IS NOTHING MORE SATISFYING THAN THE FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT ONE GETS FROM MAKING SOMETHING THEMSELF."_  
  
Satisfied, Papyrus finished bagging the trash and headed inside to make breakfast.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**December 1st: 24 Days Until Christmas**  
  
It was the 1st of December, and that meant it was time to put up the Christmas decorations! He had wanted to put them up as soon as their new house was built, but Sans had suggested he wait until December. To make up for the wait, though, Sans had bought him more lights and decorations for their display. He couldn't wait to see how everything looked once he was done!  
  
Papyrus carefully made his way down the ladder, having just finished stringing a strand of lights around the eve of the house. When he reached the ground again, he turned and saw Dogamy and Dogaressa patiently waiting for him.  
  
"GOOD AFTERNOON!" Papyrus greeted them cheerfully.  
  
"Good afternoon, Papyrus." Dogamy replied.  
  
"(Good afternoon. I see you are busy decorating for the holidays?)" Dogaressa asked.  
  
"NYEH HEH HEH! YOUR OBSERVATION IS CORRECT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM PREPARING OUR HOME TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS BY ADORNING IT WITH A SPECTACULAR ARRAY OF LIGHTS!" Papyrus puffed his chest out proudly.  
  
"(I'm sure it will look lovely when you're done.)" Dogaressa smiled at him, her tail wagging lightly.  
  
"Undoubtedly. I would expect nothing less from someone who trains directly with Captain Undyne." Dogamy agreed, his tail also wagging.  
  
"SO, WHAT BRINGS YOU TWO OUT HERE?" Papyrus asked.  
  
"We have something for your brother." Dogamy indicated a thick plastic bin that had been set down on the ground behind him and Dogaressa.  
  
"(That weird dirt he asked us to find was a little tricky to sniff out, but nothing eludes our noses!)" Dogaressa stated proudly.  
  
"WEIRD DIRT??" Papyrus asked in confusion.  
  
He walked over to the container and lifted the lid. Just as they'd said, there was some sort of weird, lumpy dirt in the bin. Oddly enough, the color reminded Papyrus of those meatballs Sans had apparently tried to make the other day.  
  
"WHY DID SANS ASK YOU TO BRING HIM DIRT??" Papyrus asked.  
  
The dogi both shrugged.  
  
"He didn't say why he needed it."  
  
"(He just said that it was important that he had lots of it, and we'd be doing him a big favor if we could find some.)"  
  
"He was very specific that it had to be this kind of dirt, too."  
  
Papyrus sighed. Clearly, these two didn't know anything about Sans' strange request. "THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT BY. I WILL BE SURE TO LET SANS KNOW THAT IT'S HERE."  
  
The dogi stared up at him, their eyes wide in anticipation. It took a moment, but Papyrus quickly realized what they were waiting for.  
  
"GOOD DOGS." Papyrus told them, patting them both on the head.  
  
Their tails began to wag enthusiastically, and they straightened up happily once Papyrus was finished.  
  
"See you around, Papyrus."  
  
"(Have a happy holiday!)"  
  
The two bid their farewells before heading off.  
  
Papyrus turned his head up towards his brother's bedroom window, where he was undoubtedly taking a nap right now. Something strange was going on...  
  
Papyrus headed into the house and up the stairs to his brother's door. He knocked, and waited for his brother to answer.  
  
Sans peeked his head out of his room. "yeah? what's up, paps?"  
  
"SANS... WHY DID DOGAMY AND DOGARESSA JUST BRING YOU A TUB OF DIRT?"  
  
Sans' eyes widened in surprise before shifting anxiously. "oh... uh... did they?"  
  
"YES, SANS. THEY DID. THEY SAID YOU ASKED THEM TO." Papyrus' sockets narrowed suspiciously at his brother.  
  
"i, uh... i guess the cat's out of the bag, then..." Sans hedged. Papyrus waited patiently for Sans to explain. After a few minutes of gathering his thoughts, Sans finally spoke again. "i'm, uh... doing some research on what kind of soil is best for a garden?" Sans responded uncertainly.  
  
Papyrus blinked at him in surprise. "YOU WANT TO MAKE A GARDEN?"  
  
"er... yeah. of course, bro. just think how much better your cooking would be with freshly grown vegetables?" Sans smiled at him.  
  
"...THAT'S QUITE THOUGHTFUL OF YOU, SANS!" Papyrus was pleasantly surprised.  
  
Sans sighed quietly in relief. "thanks, paps. it's, uh, not something that's going to happen right away, given the weather, but maybe this spring we could convert part of the yard into a garden?"  
  
"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, SANS!" Papyrus bounced excitedly at the thought. Given Snowdin's state of eternal winter, he'd never had the chance to try gardening before.  
  
"only the best for my best bro." Sans smiled genuinely at him.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**December 4th: 21 Days Until Christmas**  
  
***PHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRT***  
  
Papyrus sighed in exasperation as he pulled out another whoopie cushion. At least half the time spent doing his brother's laundry was pulling out whatever gags and garbage had been left in his pockets. The whoopie cushions were especially egregious, as his brother considered them a 'classic'. One of these days, Papyrus was going to gather them all up and hide them on him, just to get some peace and flatulence-free quiet.  
  
Papyrus tossed the shorts into the washing machine and bent down to grab the next article of clothing, when music began emanating from the clothes.  
  
_~ And I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you! I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you! I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you! I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for youuuuuuu! ~_  
  
Papyrus dug hastily through the clothes until he found the source of the music. It was Sans' cell phone. He glanced at the screen as the music played, seeing that the call was from Grillby.  
  
_"OF COURSE HE WOULD PICK A SONG LIKE THIS FOR GRILLBY..."_ Papyrus sighed.  
  
He then decided he'd better answer it and let the bartender know that his brother had forgotten his phone at home. After all, as much as he disliked his greasy food, Papyrus was grateful to the bartender for always looking out for his brother's well-being, and wouldn't want him to think Sans was simply being rude.  
  
"HELLO? GRILLBY?"  
  
"Ah, Papyrus... I thought I called Sans."  
  
"YOU DID, BUT THE LAZY BONES APPARENTLY FORGOT TO TAKE HIS PHONE OUT OF HIS POCKET BEFORE GIVING ME HIS LAUNDRY. I DID NOT WISH YOU TO THINK HE WAS BEING RUDE AND IGNORING YOUR CALL."  
  
"I see. Perhaps you could relay a message, then?"  
  
"OF COURSE!"  
  
"Tell him that I examined the sample he gave me, and he should try baking it at 275 degrees for 20 minutes to prevent it from burning on the outside before it's done."  
  
Papyrus arched his brow. "O... KAY??"  
  
"Oh, and tell him that NO, he may NOT use my oven."  
  
"MAY I ASK WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT?"  
  
"Some sort of special project he's working on or something. He'll know what it means." Grillby replied. "I hate to cut this short, but I really need to get back to my customers."  
  
"I... WILL PASS ON THE MESSAGE?" Papyrus was still a bit confused by the cryptic statements.  
  
"Thanks, Papyrus."  
  
Papyrus ended the call and stared at the phone for a minute.  
  
_"IS SANS ASKING GRILLBY FOR ADVICE ON THOSE MEATBALLS HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE LAST WEEK? HOPEFULLY HE DOESN'T TAKE HIS ADVICE ON WHAT CONSTITUTES AN 'APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF GREASE'...."_  
  
Papyrus just sighed, shaking his head, before returning to the laundry.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**December 10th: 15 Days Until Christmas**  
  
"OF COURSE, FRISK! I'D LOVE TO COME OVER AND HELP YOU AND YOUR MOM PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM AN EXPERT DECORATOR, AFTER ALL!" Papyrus responded cheerily into the phone as he stored the leftovers from his lunch. He paused as he shut the refrigerator door, a thought occurring to him. "WOWIE... THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS SINCE REACHING THE SURFACE... DO YOU THINK SANTA WILL KNOW WHERE TO DELIVER OUR PRESENTS?? I, MEAN, I MENTIONED IN MY LETTER THAT WE HAD MOVED, BUT DO YOU THINK EVERYONE ELSE DID? I'D HATE TO THINK HOW DISAPPOINTED THEY'D BE ON CHRISTMAS DAY IF SANTA DIDN'T KNOW THEIR NEW ADDRESSES..."  
  
Papyrus watched Frisk sign their response on the video app. 'I'm sure everything will be fine, Papyrus. Part of Santa's magic is that he can get to everyone no matter where they are!'  
  
"YOU DO HAVE A POINT. THE BARRIER PREVENTED US FROM LEAVING, BUT SANTA STILL MANAGED TO GET IN AND OUT TO DELIVER PRESENTS FROM THE NORTH POLE EVERY YEAR. HE MUST HAVE SOME VERY POWERFUL MAGIC, INDEED." Papyrus concluded, leaving the kitchen.  
  
'Of course he does. He's Santa!' Frisk signed.  
  
Papyrus reached down to grab his keys from the table next to the door when he spotted a brown paper bag sitting there. "UH OH..."  
  
'What's wrong?' Frisk asked.  
  
"IT LOOKS LIKE SANS FORGOT THE LUNCH I PACKED FOR HIM. I SHOULD BRING IT TO HIM AT WORK SO HE HAS SOMETHING TO EAT BESIDES THE HOTDOGS THAT HE'S SUPPOSE TO BE SELLING."  
  
'Okay. But then you're coming over, right?'  
  
"OF COURSE! I WILL SEE YOU SHORTLY, FRISK!"  
  
Frisk smiled and waved bye before disconnecting the call, leaving Papyrus to deliver Sans' forgotten lunch.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
When Papyrus arrived, Sans was slouching back in his chair, examining something in a box as he chatted with Alphys. He was gradually able to hear their conversation as he approached.  
  
"... I-I picked out the ones I t-thought would make the best reference. I-It was a bit tough to choose since there a-aren't a lot like what you requested..."  
  
"these should be a big help. thanks, alph." Sans smiled at her, then noticed his brother's approach and hastily closed the box and shoved it under his station, much to Alphys' horror and chagrin.  
  
"P-Please be careful with those! T-They're delicate and v-very expensive!" she pleaded anxiously.  
  
Sans smiled nervously at Papyrus. "hey, bro! what brings you here? looking to buy a 'dog?"  
  
"YOU LEFT YOUR LUNCH ON THE TABLE, SO I DECIDED TO BRING IT TO YOU BEFORE I HEAD OVER TO FRISK'S HOUSE." Papyrus told him, handing him the bag.  
  
"ah! thanks, paps! i realized i'd left that behind after i got here." Sans smiled and began rummaging through the bag, pulling something out. "oh! are these those christmas cookies you were baking at Tori's? **sweet.** " Sans winked at him before taking a bite.  
  
"NYEH!! MUST YOU ALWAYS RUIN EVERYTHING WITH YOUR PUNS?! AND EAT YOUR LUNCH FIRST BEFORE YOU START IN ON YOUR DESERT!" Papyrus scolded him, but he couldn't completely hide his pleased look at Sans' excitement for the cookies he'd baked. It was a recipe he'd gotten from Frisk's mom, and although the baking temperature had seemed much too low to him, she had INSISTED that he follow the instructions to the letter. He... hadn't wanted to see what she'd do if he didn't...  
  
Alphys' nervous fidgeting caught Papyrus' attention, and he remembered the box they'd been discussing before he arrived. "SO, WHAT WAS WITH THE BOX YOU TWO WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT?"  
  
"O-Oh! Um... it's just some m-models Sans wanted to borrow for r-reference..." Alphys explained.  
  
"MODELS?" Papyrus asked.  
  
Alphys opened her mouth to clarify, but Sans cut her off. "y-yeah! models! you know, like, science stuff. for my research." Sans gave Alphys a stern look, and she stuttered a bit, realizing she'd almost said too much.  
  
"FOR YOUR RESEARCH? YOU MEAN WITH THE DIRT?"  
  
"uh, yeah. totally." Sans latched on to the excuse.  
  
"SO... THE BOX CONTAINS MODELS... OF DIRT..." Papyrus asked skeptically.  
  
"uh... y-yeah?" Sans replied uncertainly.  
  
Papyrus stared his brother down, not fooled one bit. "REALLY, BROTHER, IF YOU'RE BORROWING DOCTOR ALPHYS' CARTOON COLLECTION, THAN THERE'S NO NEED TO LIE ABOUT IT. EVEN IF THEY ARE FOR BABY BONES."  
  
Sans sputtered a bit at Papyrus' conclusion, and Alphys couldn't seem to decide if she was more amused or offended.  
  
"I assure you, not ALL of it is appropriate for kids..." She muttered quietly. Sans was the only one who managed to hear her, and she blushed when he arched a brow in her direction.  
  
"ANYWAY, I'M HEADING OVER TO FRISK'S TO HELP DECORATE THEIR HOUSE. I WILL BE HOME LATER."  
  
"alright, paps. see you later." Sans gave a lazy wave to his brother as he left, before returning his attention to Alphys. "so, this anime stuff that undyne's always trying to convince paps to watch... how, exactly, is it not appropriate for kids?" his eye sockets narrowed at her.  
  
Alphys stared at him wide-eyed and blushing as she began to sputter.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**December 17th: 8 Days Until Christmas**  
  
"YOU HAVEN'T STARTED YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING YET?!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I FINISHED MINE WEEKS AGO! REALLY, SANS, THIS IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULDN'T PUT OFF UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. FINDING THE PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES CAN BE A DAUNTING TASK, AND REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT AND CONSIDERATION!" Papyrus lectured his brother as he went through his weekly tasks of cleaning the house.  
  
Sans scratched the back of his skull sheepishly, as he idly watched Papyrus sweep. "it's not that i haven't been giving it any thought. i just don't have any gifts yet."  
  
Papyrus grunted in annoyance. "IT'S A WEEK UNTIL CHRISTMAS, SANS! BY THE TIME YOU GET OFF YOUR LAZY TAILBONE TO GO SHOPPING, ALL THE GOOD GIFTS WILL BE SOLD OUT!"  
  
Sans winced slightly. "you're right, paps... i'm sorry. i'll go out and do some shopping today."  
  
Papyrus nodded his acknowledgment. "THAT'S BETTER. LAZINESS IS NO EXCUSE TO SLACK ON YOUR FRIENDSHIPS." Papyrus leaned down to dump the dirt he'd just swept up into the garbage can, but paused when he noticed it was empty. "HUH? WHERE'S TRASHY?"  
  
"where's who now?" Sans asked, confused.  
  
"TRASHY! THE LAZY BAG OF TRASH THAT LIVES IN THE GARBAGE CAN!" Papyrus waved his hand at the empty can to emphasize his point.  
  
"uh... i think he headed home to be with his family." Sans glanced away shiftily.  
  
"OH, REALLY? GOOD FOR HIM!" Papyrus seemed relieved.  
  
"yeah. you could say they were really **down in the dumps** without him." Sans winked.  
  
"AUGH! YOU AND YOUR INFERNAL PUNS!" Papyrus yelled as Sans began to laugh.  
  
After a few moments of mock-pouting, Papyrus couldn't help but smile and join in on his brother's laughter.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**December 24th: One Day Until Christmas**  
  
The day had finally come!  
  
Papyrus was bounding around the house excitedly gathering everything he would need. It was Christmas Eve, and that meant tonight was the Christmas Party at Frisk's mom's house, and then... Christmas day!  
  
Sans watched his brother as he ran around the house with more energy than a chipmunk on caffeine. Seeing him so excited always made Sans smile. He'd be up late tonight putting out the presents from 'Santa' whenever his brother finally dozed off, but he was worth the loss of sleep.  
  
Sans' smile dropped a bit. He just hoped his brother liked the gift from him...  
  
"SANS, WILL YOU LOAD THE GIFTS FOR EVERYONE INTO THE CAR? I STILL NEED TO PUT THE SPAGHETTI IN ITS CONTAINER TO BRING TO THE PARTY!" Papyrus asked him as he bounced towards the kitchen.  
  
"sure, no problem, bro." Sans smiled at him.  
  
Sans grunted as he stood from the couch, stretching. He then glanced over at the pile of gifts from he and his brother to all their friends who would be at the party. He considered the pile for a minute... It was quite the stack. He could start carrying boxes out to the car, but that would take at least half a dozen trips.  
  
Sans smirked, his eye blazing to life as he lifted his hand, and with it, the presents that were now encased in his magic. Why do all that walking when he could do it in one trip and then get a few more minutes of snoozing on the couch?  
  
Sans headed outside with the gifts and guided them into the trunk before returning inside and snuggling back down on the sofa.  
  
By the time Papyrus came out of the kitchen, Sans had managed to doze off again.  
  
_"ASLEEP AGAIN?? SANS IS SUCH AN INCORRIGIBLE LAZYBONES..."_ Papyrus then noticed that the gifts were no longer stacked on the floor, and smiled. _"AT LEAST HE DID AS I ASKED."_  
  
Papyrus put down the pot of pasta and nudged his brother awake. "WAKE UP, SANS! IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE PARTY!"  
  
Sans' eye eased its way open to look at his brother. "ah, it's that time already? alright."  
  
Sans hoisted himself up with another groan, and the two brothers headed out.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
"OH MY GOD! UNDYNE! **UNDYNE!** DID YOU SEE?! **DID YOU SEE?!** " Papyrus called out as he practically bowled over Undyne, who barely managed to stop him from knocking over the snack table in his haste to get to her.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there! See what, Paps?" Undyne asked him curiously as he bounced up and down in his excitement.  
  
"METTATON **TALKED** TO ME!" Papyrus squealed.  
  
Undyne smiled awkwardly at Papyrus. "Oh... Is that all?" It wasn't that she DISLIKED Mettaton... As annoying as he could be at times, she knew he couldn't be all bad if Alphys was friends with him... She just couldn't understand Papyrus' enthusiasm for the egocentric robot.  
  
Papyrus continued on, completely oblivious to Undyne's less-than-thrilled reaction. "NO, THAT IS NOT ALL!" Papyrus whipped out a Polaroid photo. "HE ALSO TOOK A PICTURE WITH ME AND SIGNED IT!"  
  
Undyne examined the picture that Papyrus was holding out and barely resisted the urge to facepalm. The picture was of Mettaton and Papyrus all right... If you considered a couple cervical vertebrae, half his jaw, and part of his Christmas sweater to be enough to include Papyrus as an occupant of the photo. The majority of it was taken up by Mettaton himself. To make the whole thing even worse, the writing covered up the little bit of picture space that Papyrus DID occupy.  
  
Papyrus turned the picture back towards himself and proudly read the inscription. "AHEM... 'TO MY #1 FAN! HAVE A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS! -METTATON'" He smiled broadly at Undyne. "SEE?! HE SAID I'M HIS #1 FAN! AND HE WISHED ME A MERRY CHRISTMAS! THIS IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS PARTY EVER!!"  
  
Undyne smiled genuinely at Papyrus this time. She supposed her thoughts on this didn't really matter so long as Papyrus was happy with it. And so long as Papyrus was happy, she was happy for him. "That's pretty cool, Paps."  
  
Papyrus turned and began looking around the room. "HAVE YOU SEEN SANS? I HAVE GOT TO SHOW HIM THIS!"  
  
"I think I saw him talking to the Queen in the hallway. They seemed to be having some sort of bad-joke competition or something." Undyne replied.  
  
Papyrus immediately cringed. "PERHAPS I WILL SHOW HIM LATER, THEN..."  
  
Undyne chuckled briefly, expecting that reaction. "Your brother is one weird guy."  
  
"INDEED. BETWEEN HIS LOVE OF BAD JOKES, CONSTANT NAPPING, AND FONDNESS OF PRANKING PEOPLE ACROSS TIME AND SPACE, HE IS QUITE STRANGE." Papyrus agreed, though there was a bit of fond familiarity in his tone. After all, that weirdness is what made his brother, his brother.  
  
"Yeah, he's always doing weird things. I mean, what did he do with those armor scraps he asked me for last week?" Undyne pondered.  
  
"ARMOR SCRAPS??" This was the first Papyrus had heard of this.  
  
"Yeah, he came by last week and asked if he could rummage through some of the old armor sets that are too damaged to repair. He didn't take a lot, just a couple pieces of scrap metal and fabric and such." Undyne truly was perplexed by this.  
  
Papyrus wracked his brain for what use his brother could possibly have for armor scraps. _"PERHAPS HE WANTS TO BE MORE LIKE ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND IS BUILDING HIS OWN BATTLE BODY? .... NO. PROBABLY NOT. KNOWING HIM, HE'S PROBABLY WORKING IT INTO SOME SORT OF PRANK OR WAY TO HELP HIM TAKE MORE NAPS."_ Papyrus shook his head, mildly exasperated by the thought.  
  
"Eh, enough about your brother. Come on, Paps! I bet I can suplex a bigger boulder than you!" Undyne flexed tauntingly.  
  
"NYEH?! YOU WANT TO HAVE A COMPETITION RIGHT HERE? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARTY?!" Papyrus gaped at her.  
  
"Not INSIDE, you goof! A few of us have been digging out the space for a pool out back, and there's some pretty big boulders out there. We need to get rid of them anyway, and what better way than to **crush** them in a suplexing competition?!"  
  
"OH. THAT SEEMS REASONABLE. IF FRISK'S MOM DOESN'T NEED THE BOULDERS, ANYWAY, THAN I DON'T SEE WHAT HARM COULD COME OF IT..."  
  
"That's the spirit! Now come on, you weenie! Let's wrestle us some rocks!" Undyne charged out the door, with Papyrus following behind.  
  
\------------------------------  
  
**December 25th: Christmas Day**  
  
Sans' dreamless slumber was shattered by the sound of his door slamming open. The panic that tried to well up, though, was immediately quashed by the sound of Papyrus' voice.  
  
"SANS! SANS! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!! SANTA'S BEEN HERE!!" Papyrus shouted excitedly, rushing over and scooping his brother out of bed.  
  
Sans barely had enough time to read the clock before being whisked out of the room. _"5:30am, huh? paps must have been really tuckered out after the party last night. he slept in later than usual."_ he noted to himself, allowing himself to be carried downstairs and plopped onto the couch.  
  
Sans smiled fondly as he watched Papyrus dig eagerly through the gifts under the tree, opening some himself and, just as eagerly, watching Sans open his own.  
  
Finally, they got down to the last two presents. The one to Sans from Papyrus, and the one to Papyrus from Sans.  
  
"YOU OPEN YOURS FIRST, BROTHER!" Papyrus grinned at him, his eyes wide with excitement to see Sans' reaction.  
  
Sans took his time opening the present, amused as Papyrus fidgeted more and more while resisting the urge to tell Sans to hurry up. Finally, Sans got the paper off and stared at the box in his lap.  
  
It was a telescope, and a guide to identifying different stars, planets, and constellations. Sans' eyes widened as he looked over the box. This thing was much fancier than the one he had underground.  
  
Papyrus was beaming at him. "I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THE STARS, SANS, SO I FIGURED THAT, NOW THAT WE LIVE ON THE SURFACE AND YOU CAN SEE THE REAL ONES, YOU COULD USE A NICER TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT THEM! THE LADY FROM THE STORE WAS VERY HELPFUL IN PICKING OUT THE MODEL AND SUGGESTING THE GUIDE!"  
  
Sans smiled brightly at his brother, excited at what he might be able to see with the new telescope. "this is an incredible gift, paps! thanks!"  
  
Papyrus puffed out his chest proudly. "NOW IT'S TIME TO SEE WHAT YOU GOT ME!"  
  
Sans deflated. "uh, yeah. of course. i mean, it's nowhere near as cool as your gift, but... here."  
  
Papyrus looked curiously at his brother as he became nervous, accepting the gift. He looked at the wrapping, which was weird and lumpy. It was clearly an oddly shaped gift. He then carefully tore the wrapping paper off.  
  
Papyrus stared down at what was in his hand. It was... himself. Or rather, an model of himself. It was somewhat weirdly posed, and kind of lumpy in places... But it was most certainly him. It was hand-painted, and even featured a tiny battle-body, which looked to be made from the same materials as his own.  
  
"i, uh, wasn't sure what to get you... you're already so cool, nothing really seemed good enough... then i got the idea that maybe it would be cool to have a papyrus action figure, but... of course there aren't any, so i tried making one myself out of clay, but it was terrible, and i kept trying until finally i got something that wasn't completely horrible, but it's still weird looking and not nearly good enough and-" Sans began rambling.  
  
Papyrus stared down at the figurine as the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. The 'meatballs' in the trash... now that he thought about it, they'd been kind of clay-like. Clearly Sans' rejects. The 'weird dirt' from Dogamy and Dogaressa had been the same stuff... more clay for Sans to work with while trying to get the figure just right. The pose of the figure was reminiscent of one of the models he'd seen on Alphys and Undyne's shelves. Is that what was in the box Doctor Alphys had lent him? Figures to base his own model on? Given what she'd let slip, it made sense. And then there was that message from Grillby... Papyrus knew that some clays were baked to harden them when you were done molding them... If Sans had been having trouble with that part as his early attempts suggested, it would make sense that he'd seek the advice of someone with such an intimate knowledge of heat and burning things, or as the case may be, avoiding burning things. And then there was the party last night. Undyne had mentioned his brother needing armor-building materials, but in very small amounts. He knew his brother hadn't been making his own battle body...  
  
Sans was notoriously lazy. He'd even thought that is brother had spent most of the month slacking off, as usual. He had clearly been wrong. Sure, the grin was a little weird, and the hips were a little lumpy, but his brother had spent nearly a month making the best Papyrus figurine he possibly could.  
  
Papyrus gently placed the figurine down.  
  
"...i mean, the paint on the boots is clearly off, and- OOF!" Sans' rambling was cut off as he was swept up into a tight hug by Papyrus.  
  
"THANK YOU, BROTHER! THIS IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER!" He exclaimed.  
  
"i, uh, what??" Sans was a little flabbergasted. I mean, it wasn't as bad as his first attempt, but it really wasn't very good.  
  
Papyrus pulled Sans away from him, holding his brother off the floor at arm's length. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST ACTING WEIRD THIS PAST MONTH, BUT NOW I SEE THAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD TO MAKE THIS GIFT! YOU PUT YOUR HEART AND SOUL INTO MAKING IT FOR ME! THAT MAKES IT MORE VALUABLE THAN ANY PRESENT YOU COULD HAVE BOUGHT AT THE STORE!" Papyrus was beaming at him proudly, his eye sockets misty with tears of joy.  
  
Sans' surprised expression morphed into a look of relieved happiness. "you're worth all the effort. merry christmas, paps."  
  
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, SANS!" Papyrus pulled Sans back into a tight hug, which he gladly reciprocated.


End file.
